Josh’s Rivendell Rosco Bubbe

Graphic Bike Content (NSFW) – If you are not a bike geek kindly move along.

It’s taken nearly a year for this build to come to fruition, minus ten-years of dreaming. If there is one thing I have when it comes to bikes is patience.
When I started building-up bikes Grant Petersen’s writing at Rivendell Bicycle Works had a huge impact on how I envisioned cycling. I can’t say I was a convert, as I was never a MAMILl, but it did encourage me to become an impassioned daily rider as a means of transportation. It would not be bluster for me to say bicycles probably saved my sanity.

Now the lugged steel goodness of Rivendell has always been reasonably out of my reach, but last year on a visit to RBWWHQ, I spied a strange mixte sitting outside. After some cajoling Roman granted me permission to take his bike out for a spin. I immediately knew that if Riv ever did another round of this small batch bike, I’d scoop one up. And what do you know, they did another small run, with most of the frames landing in the hot little hands of other RBW staffers. I happened to spot one left on the interweb and I jumped at my chance.
Luckily for me, this was not one of Riv’s super deluxe lugged bikes with all the trimmings, so the frame was rather reasonably priced. And with a little more patience and ingenuity, I was able to build it up using at least 50% free parts out of the bike bin and donations from friends.

Before you bike geeks lose all control over me over what this build is, let me just say it’s a Franken-Bike in all its glory. So no negativity here, just enjoy the creativity. Like all my bikes its meant as daily transport and thus has a rack. It is geared as a fixed-gear for smooth sailing around the streets of LA. While the flop (and inner chainring) is a freewheel perfectly matched for single tracks or the fire roads of the Angeles National Brush Land. Yes, it’s all measured out with the 52/19 and 46/24 having the same exact chain line.

Parts list –
Rivendell Rosco Bubbe (Mixte with a nod of MTB geometry. It has every braze on imaginable, and a nifty handle for carrying up stairs. And what a name!)
Standard Riv Headset and BB bracket (special note, had to swap out to a longer tapered spindle to fit the double)
Nitto stem & seat post (nice)
Nitto Choco Bars (wanted that cafe racer look)
Compass Rinko MKS Always Pedals (if you take them off people are less likely to steal the bike…that’s the rational I used in getting them…hush your comments)
Compass Tires SwitchBack Hill 650×48 (for a plush fast ride both on the street and off road)
Short pull v-brakes
Wheelset is a gift from the ever wonderful RanggaPanji and his fine wheel building skills.(He also did the math on gear ratios as he is smarter than me)
Rims Araya TX-533 (probably the only pair in the US)
Hub ?
Freewheel UNITED
Fixed Surly 19t (off my old SteamRoller)
Sakra Components 7050-T6 Karambit lockring (made in Indonesia)
Shimano dynamo
Out of the parts bin
Cork bar ends (thanks for drinking wine Dad!)
Old Brooks Imperial Saddle
NewBaum cloth bar tape
Interrupter levers (With extra long cables so you can run the levers further out on the bars when riding SS. Because the interrupter levers are bolted on the outside of the bar tape they are easy to readjust. Goofy perhaps, but fun, yes!)
Double crankset unknown brand
Cetma 7-rail rack with fence (This thing has been with me over 10-years and has traveled around the world. Shout out to Lane for building an indestructible product. Small people can sit on it, and panniers can be fit under it. Go get yourself one, you won’t regret it.)
A ridiculous number of heavy locks to prevent theft
Still needed
Handmade straps for the peddles via my brother coming later this week
Front and rear light for the dynamo hub (yet undecided)
A Randijo bar bag

Now anyone who thinks these photos are gratuitous bike porn, please let me correct you; These photos were made using a new lighting scenario I was testing for work. So these are simply samples of work and the bike is a mere stand-in for future subjects. This shoot had nothing to do with the bike, and everything to do with work.